Currently there are several marking/indicator devices that emit various wavelengths of light as needed. In many scenarios, specific situations require personnel/combatants to wear, carry, or mount multiple marking devices to their helmets, clothing, equipment, etc., to meet operational needs. For instance and in the past, military free fall parachuting performed at night often required the combatant carry a chemical light or single-use, single spectrum electronic equivalent for collision-avoidance while in free fall. Additionally, the combatant had to carry a white strobe light to meet FAA requirements for parachuting at night during training. Also, the combatant had to wear a multi-function visible and/or infrared helmet-mounted light to identify and mark personnel for command and control purposes once on the ground. Finally, for certain operations, the combatant had to wear or carry an IFF interrogation response device to signal back when interrogated or illuminated by friendly forces using handheld, weapon-mounted, aircraft, or vehicle-mounted infrared laser devices.
Multiple devices create a plethora of issues such as maintaining each device (e.g. fresh batteries for each operation, testing functionality before operations, etc.), and controlling the function of each device at various stages of the operation (e.g., changing from overt to covert operation, etc.). Further, the total weight of such devices and their respective battery packs as well real estate for each device (e.g., helmet space) is often an issue.
Single-purpose IFF interrogation response devices, including those integrated into patches that are attached by hook and loop material to the arm or shoulder exist, but the range of such, the directionality of such, and feedback flexibility from such are limited due to physical characteristics of such, limited acquisition and emission angles, and installation location constraints on the combatant.
In some scenarios, aircraft or ground-based vehicles illuminate a target or target area with a specific wavelength of laser radiation, often modulated with a secure code of the day, before using the reflections of such illumination to launch laser-guided munitions; in such cases it is important that forward-deployed combatants such as forward observers be alerted that they are being illuminated by such targeting lasers so as to initiate self-protection procedures including radio communication with the targeting aircraft or vehicle.
What is needed is a single device that will provide a one or several marking capabilities as well as optionally responding to proper IFF interrogation or illumination by a targeting laser.